OAKLAND: QB Derek Carr needs more from his supporting cast. New head coach Jon Gruden wants to resuscitate Amari Cooper after his nightmare 2017 season. Cooper will have work from the slot or constantly go in motion because he struggles mightily against press coverage. WR Jordy Nelson looked done last year, WR Martavis Bryant is maddeningly inconsistent and RB Marshawn Lynch will only be effective if his touches are limited. Defensive Player of the Year candidate DE Khalil Mack is not only a lethal pass-rusher, but also an exceptional run-defender. He and OLB Bruce Irvin combined for 18.5 sacks last season, but Oakland got very little production from the rest of the front seven. The young secondary was problematic last season, though 2017 first-rounder CB Gareon Conley should be an asset as he returns from a shin injury that limited him to two games last season.

DENVER: The Broncos are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with QB Case Keenum coming off a breakout season in Minnesota. He inherits a formidable WR duo in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, though there are nothing but question marks elsewhere in the receiving corps. Denver hopes third-round draft pick RB Royce Freeman will energize the running attack, but he has a poor offensive line to work with. Even with Aqib Talib gone, the CB combo of Chris Harris and Bradley Roby could be one of the league's best. Harris held opponents to 26 yards per game and has the versatility to cover the slot. The Broncos held opponents to a league-best 3.3 yards per carry, and the pass-rush should get a boost from the arrival of No. 5 overall pick edge-rusher Bradley Chubb. He and perennial DPOY candidate Von Miller will be a nightmare for opposing QBs.

PREVIEW

Broncos ready to feast on struggling Raiders

The Denver Broncos unleashed a balanced offensive attack in their 27-24 season-opening victory over the Seattle Seahawks and hope for more of the same when they host the rival Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

Denver, though, was far from perfect as quarterback Case Keenum threw three interceptions in his Broncos debut but completed 25-of-39 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns.

"We're going to run our offense," Keenum said. "No matter what's happened, we're still going to run our offense. We're going to be in attack mode."

Denver coach Vance Joseph was happy his team came away with a victory but was far from satisfied.

"It's good to win, but we do have standards, and our standards can't be measured by who we play. It's got to be by how we play," Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. "So, I told (the players), 'Hey, I'm excited about the win, but we can play better'."

Denver wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders caught 10 passes versus Seattle. Last season, Sanders didn't hit double-digits in receptions until Week 3. Sanders looks primed for a renaissance season after struggling with injuries last year. The good timing Sanders displayed with Keenum during practice and the preseason translated to the regular-season opener, in which he finished with 135 receiving yards and a 43-yard touchdown.

The Broncos also rushed for 146 yards with rookies Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman each totalling 71. Lindsay, a Denver native and former University of Colorado star, added a 29-yard receiving touchdown.

Rookie linebacker Bradley Chubb played more snaps (95 percent) than any other Broncos front-seven player, finishing with a half-sack in his regular-season debut. If the Broncos return to the playoffs this season, their youngest players are likely to help point them there.

"Even though they're young players, they're good football players," Joseph said. "They're very, very mature and smart football players. They've earned their way to play, so it's not about holding their hand or making it easy for those guys. "They are NFL players, they're ready to play and they've proven that from training camp to preseason and now to last week."

While some of the rookies raised eyebrows, so did veteran linebacker Von Miller, who comes off a three-sack, two-forced fumble, one-fumble recovery performance.

After being thoroughly outmanned and outplayed in the Monday night season opener by the Los Angeles Rams 33-13, Oakland heads to Denver with a lot to prove.

The chief concern is the play of quarterback Derek Carr. He looked unsettled in the pocket after getting sacked by Michael Brockers in the second half and continued to loft too many lazy passes instead of stepping into the pass and throwing with conviction.

Carr, who completed 20 of his first 23 passes but finished 29 for 40 with 303 yards and three interceptions, was asked about the effects of getting hit.

"I don't think about it until after I'm laying on the ground and making sure everything is all right," he said. "I've been there too many times. You don't think about it in the game because you're flooded with decisions, coverage, fronts and pressures."

Now Carr faces a Broncos' defense that recorded six sacks versus Seattle.

"Well, they have all kinds of pressure," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said of the Broncos. "They have all the blitzes that you can draw up. They have that type of pressure that you have to deal with. They'll put three or four of those defensive ends out there together.

"They have Shane Ray, Shaquil Barrett. (Bradley) Chubb is a top-five pick, so they can apply pressure inside or outside. With their four-man rush, they can also get home with an array of blitzes. They have a talented secondary. (Bradley) Roby and Adam Jones now to go with Chris Harris makes this a real challenge in the noise."

Oakland has lost five straight dating to Week 14 of the 2017 season and hasn't scored more than 17 points during that span. The Raiders hope for more production from Jordy Nelson, who caught three passes for 23 yards in his club debut.

Oakland leads the series 62-51-2 after the teams split the last three season series.